ARCA Staff Profile: Intern Jessica Nielson Editing ARCA's First Title Under Its Own Imprint, "The Thefts of the Mona Lisa: On Stealing the World's Most Famous Painting" by Noah Charney

Jessica Nielsen is one of the summer interns for ARCA, working on editing, publishing and publicizing ARCA’s first title under its own imprint, Noah Charney's The Thefts of the Mona Lisa: On Stealing the World’s Most Famous Painting. She has a BA in Art History and History and a Masters of Architecture, and has had varied experiences in arts administration, philanthropy and design. She is currently working on revising her first draft of a novel involving forgery and deception. Jessica lives in Chicago with her husband and two children.

What area of art crime do you enjoy following (reading, researching)?

Jessica: I am most interested in perceptions of value in the art market; how it is established, protected and manipulated, and cases which involve forgery and fraud. I have been reading every thing that I can find about the subject – both fiction and non-fiction for years.

My favorite place to sit in Amelia is the patio of Bar Leonardi. Do you have a favorite place?

Jessica: I don’t have a favorite place yet for sitting. But I took a long walk this morning on the footpath just outside the walls and drank in the early morning sounds, sights and smells and decided that it would be my morning ritual.

When I first went to Amelia in 2009, I was astounded by the cleanliness of the town and the beauty of the views of the surrounding countryside. What was your initial impression of Amelia?

Jessica: My first impression was of a historic small and friendly town with a lot of charm. That hasn’t changed. Just doing errands here has been a pleasure. I love living in Italy and have twice lived in Rome ¬– but I’m a city person so living in a small town in the country is a new experience for me – I think I’ll really enjoy it.

What are your expectations for this summer?

Jessica: I am hoping that it will be a fun couple of months of working, learning and meeting new people. I would like Noah’s book to be a success and a strong foundation for more titles to be published by ARCA and I want to find some time to work on my own manuscript too.

And, of course, Amelia has lots of venues for live music. Do you play an instrument or sing?

Jessica: Only at Christmas; then I’ll sit at the piano and play a few carols to get in the holiday spirit.